Saskfarmer3

[SASKFARMER3]

Again it’s against me posting that canada is the toughest place to grow a crop.

It is when considering Mother Nature rules in canada.

Yea we did great in the 70 s & 80s when shit hit most of the west. Land went stupid didn’t buy but bought on down cycle.

90s and subsidies killed profit as Canada left us to hang.

2000 started out ok but then the wheels fell off 02 frost and 04 frost. Look at your crop today how far along will it be in two weeks that’s when the frost hit and hit hard.

But we overcome lost a few and continued then when the above describes the great period to farm we had floods and floods and floods. I try to explain how 10000 acres seeded becomes 7000 harvested. You put money and inputs on 10000 to get 7000. One year not bad but 15. So yea bitter just a bit we missed the greatest time to be a farmer in Canada. Some that started in that time period think it’s like that always. Ha I said it wasn’t normal and it wasn’t. We had wet periods and dry since the land was broke in 1929. But wet lasted few years similar drought only a few.

I think this year is a normal weather pattern and last year was close.

I ask all who think I’m wrong how well you will do if 15 years of drought hits and how optimistic you will be.

I can here some saying it will never happen, well I said it couldn’t rain that much but it did.

Some criticize everything I write, but post nothing. So I offend you good I really don’t care it’s farming and if you think we live in a garden state your dreaming.

Costs are gaining on yield. Soon we will need 100 wheat and 120 canola to cover today’s bills.

Yes companies are working hard to keep the gain in yield going but look at your seed costs are you as a farmer winning.

More acres more equipment more men more more more. We’re will it end. Or is opportunity just around the corner.

I wouldn’t keep farming if I didn’t think a big opportunity in ag is just around the next corner, but it’s not how some of you see it.

Weather is our one thing we can’t control and it is tough and ruthless.

So keep thinking it can’t happen to me our area is perfect and no other country in the world farms like us.

Have a great Sunday the wind is sure going nuts, big yield is on the way.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

I hope that the most negative posters are coming here to vent their frustration rather than subject their families to it.

[SASKFARMER3]

You seem to think I’m negative.

Hahahha I laugh.

I’m a realist.

Shit happens, and just when you think you got things figured out Mother Nature hits you below the belt. How you handle it makes you stronger or takes you out.

Enjoy your day I am.


France won oh well Croatia gave them a good game.

[farmaholic]

I hope that the most negative posters are coming here to vent their frustration rather than subject their families to it.

I'll use my monicker to make my point....those suffering from Farmaholicism often suffer from denial and don't see the desperation and futility of their affliction...yet the very negativity you talk about people subjecting their family to is no less sinister than the denial of that everything is ok in the face of adversity. ...it isn't always ok to trudge through the adversity to save your pride at your families expense either.

Tell it like it is, is all I ask.

If my family wants to farm they need to know the good AND the bad....doing anything else is a disservice to them. ...then let them make their own decision.

Oh yeah....the "lifestyle" part doesn't pay bills.

[Klause]

There's a lot of... interesting... comments on this thread.



I'm going to play a devil's advocate, well, because I can.

Human nature makes us feel we are worse off than the next guy. Not usually true. Here is my counter arguments.

1. There are lots of ways to be successful at farming without thousands of acres, livestock, market gardens, specialty crops, organic, farmgate sales etc. But if you want to only do the gravy jobs of siting in air conditioned cab with brand new machinery and not get your hands dirty yep you gotta farm thousands of acres of small margins cause most other farmers only want to do that too.

Yep... And the world is even more diverse than Canada... So why are ya'll trying to compare broad acre agriculture in Canada to growing tropical fruit in Hawaii, or Coffee in Colombia, or Bananas in Nicaragua... At the same time ya'll enjoy all these foods/condiments/luxuries that producers in these countries produce, whilst claiming they have a lower lifestyle than you do. While this might be true, it doesn't mean they aren't happy... Different people and societies have different goals in life. It's hard to understand that. Kind of like I don't get the point of running to a "lake" to sit next to a bunch of people and noise to "get away from it all".

2. The government does not own my farm nor do they take away my production.

Technically, you don't even own your farm. You have no law or right to the land you sit and live on, and it can (and has been) taken away... Hell, my in-laws got their land expropriated, flooded, and 3 years later haven't seen a dime for it.

3. Winter does present challenges but it provides a seasonal break in an otherwise hectic occupation. Also helps control the life cycles on bugs, weeds, disease etc. The spectrum of pests we have is pretty small compared to most warmer regions.

Well, except that's wrong. First of all, in countries with no winter, or at least extended growing seasons/mild winters, you aren't rushed, or at least as rushed. There's places in the world where crops go into the ground every month of the year, and harvest takes place every month. There's uniform monthly income/expenses, there's no need for credit, and work just rolls on... 5 days a week, weekends off, 8-10 hrs a day with week or two week vacations between production cycles.

4. Proximity to tide water is a challenge but amazingly with all the complaints we have of our rail system freight rates are actually pretty cheap, doesn't cost much more to get product from prairies to coast than from farm to elevator.

Well, first of all... It costs $50ish/mt to get grain to Vancouver. It costs $42/mt to get grain from Central SK to SE Manitoba (800+km) So I'm not sure what you're talking about.

And if it didn't, and I'm full of shit, why is our price to world FOB port price a differential of $90/MT?...

5. Weather is an issue everywhere just different. Ours is at least somewhat predictable. Remember the Alberta saying is you dont like the weathet just wait 5 minutes. If you know a place on the world with no wind and perfect weather let me know I'm in.

Snow in Sept. Frost in August. 15 years of flooding, two years later drought. One winter is -40 next is -5.
How is that... predictable... or any different than any other part of the world? There are only two places in the world with extremes in weather and swings like we have - That's the Canadian Prairies and Siberia.

6. The government is not hostile to farmers, but unchecked they can certainly make our lives and industry more difficult to prosper. Any problems from government in Canada is more of a problem with democracy in General, on paper sounds great but in reality it is lacking.

There are few if any governments that are hostile to farming... It's simple... you die if you bite the hand that feeds you. Actually, Canada is one of the worst for understanding what agriculture contributes - both in terms of currency coming into the country, and job & wealth creation.

Openly hostile? What do you call carbon taxes (and not paying for sinks), removing farmer market protections, taxing our crop insurance, not providing any kind of subsidies or safety net for our market losses while billions for the steel industry, and increasing taxes on everything from fuel to farm insurance??? Sounds pretty hostile to me...

IF it's that bad to farm here how come it's so hard to buy or rent land?

Compared to where? Is rent $300 USD/acre? Or land $25,000/ha to buy? It's all relative to what you know... and what you're used to.

There was a world run up in commodity prices, farmers rose to the challenge, put land into production, shortened production cycles, increased per acre production, and now we're caught up again, so prices drop to signal a levelling off in the production increases. It's free market economics (or a silly conspiracy if you believe that. LOL)


Canada's a great place to live and work - but we've become victims of our own prosperity. The entire country, people, and business structure lives off of unsustainable debt that's about to be unwound.

Living standards will drop and we're in for pain.

My observation is not directed at anyone in particular but seems right to voice it with the general discussion in this thread. I admit it, I am a optimist. I started farming full time in 1988, in the worst drought our farm ever saw. The next 20 years saw poor margins in most years. It was 10 years ago that the pendulum finally swung the other way and profit in farming was a lot easier. I do believe we are due for a downturn. It is going to hurt on one hand but the best opportunities occur when things are the bleakest. Land costs come down when most think its a poor bet. We were able to buy land in the last 15 years that are a quarter of todays value. People thought guys were crazy to buy land.
Thing is there always exists a negativity in the farming community in a percentage of the people. I know guys that it doesn't matter if prices are high or low , crops good or bad, etc they are always bitching about things. I sometimes think that with some of the posters come here to vent and maybe don't really feel that way. With others it is very obvious they are truly not happy where things are at. The question I have asked a couple guys is that if they are so negative on the future of farming , why do they do it? No one should be forced to farm. I love farming but I have it treat it like a business not a way off life. There is great opportunities off the farm if the farming game is not for them. I have some close friends that made that decision and it was the best thing they ever did. Way less stress for them and were much happier.

Agree with you... and then there's realists. Those that are the wealthiest get out when everyone else gets in and jump into things when everyone heads for the exists.

I'm not negative agriculture, in fact there's huge opportunity - but it's going to get disrupted.
There will be changes in the whole world as to who is "on top". We've had a (relatively) prosperous and peaceful time... There will be a shakeup, especially as our post-industrial western civilizations continue to weaken.

There's technology that'll make the tractor sitting operator obsolete. Technology to manage crops down the square meter, and do it faster and with zero energy inputs... Biotechnology, energy systems, and nanotechnology will all have a part in it.


Now, the question is do we create an open, disruptive ecosystem in agriculture or do we bow down to Bayersanto, Deere, and the like?


And keep in mind the bigger they are the harder they fall. In today's world, Microsoft has become nearly irrelevant in the technology space... Something unthinkable 15 years ago.

Linux, an open source platform developed by a bunch of hackers is today the basis for most of the world's tech (Android, MacOS, Linux, UNIX... all common open source heritage)...

[sumdumguy]

We are off to France next week, gonna drive from Paris to Nice and across to Italy. We hope to see a lot of farms. Last time we went, from a hundred mile an hour on the speed train, it looked a lot like home, just a bit rolling. Gotta learn how to post pictures to this site. We would rent a car in Ireland and England but this old dog can’t learn new tricks on the wrong side of the road.

[Oliver88]

SF3 s a Hall of Famer and deserves respect !

Saying the truth isn't being negative !

# Hawaii or no Hawaii !

First ballot Agriville Hall of Fame for sure, the committee wouldn’t even make him wait 3 years after retirement to enter.
Friday crop reports are not matched by anyone else’s contributions. Says it like it is....all we can ask for.

It is good to be positive but also important to be realistic and call out the industry BS when it happens.

4” of rainfall if slow and timely, can lead to a good crop.

[bgmb]

Nobody can accuse the the friday crop report of being tinted by rose colored glasses!It is a good fair assessment of whats happening. Canada is the best country in the world to live and work and raise a family in!! If you dont agree why are you still here? cheers

[farmaholic]

.........definitely not rose colored glasses. But I think he sees everything through the windshield of a John Deere, so maybe green tinted glasses...

[bgmb]

.........definitely not rose colored glasses. But I think he sees everything through the windshield of a John Deere, so maybe green tinted glasses...

there was talk of trading for a Klause, I mean Cat I mean Claas

[farmaholic]

there was talk of trading for a Klause, I mean Cat I mean Claas

It may be getting cool tonight but not cold enough for hell to freeze over 🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢

😨😨😨😨😨

[SASKFARMER3]

Bmg I’m only here part time and like I said maybe a opportunity is coming. Some see it other don’t.

Travel and you see other places got it way better..

Look south the president is going hard against the world and Ag is taking a hit our canola is based on soy for price even if the Chinese will buy our canola at a huge discount. Farmers in canada take it in the ass.

Americans they sell at market price even if the South Americans buy it then ship to China. American people pick up the short fall. In canada we get nothing.

So keep telling your self that farming here is so great. That’s just one example.

CLAAS combines NO.

Fendt combines I’m disappointed in the rotor. To light.

Case?

NH no?

Deere maybe one year old 790s.

Have a great Sunday night